Local schools competed in the MHSAA State Powerlifting Championships over the weekend, with Velma Jackson winning the 2A boys title, with Velma Jackson girls and Germantown boys earning runner-up finishes.
On the boys side, Velma Jackson boys dominated the Class 2A championship, earning 47 points and finished ahead of second place Lake with 29 points and East Union with 25 points.
Javion Fields, Rae Williamson, TJ Jones, and Cam Nettles all won individual titles in their weight classes for the Falcons. Rounding out the individual weight class finishes for Velma Jackson were Buck Smith in second, Amos Varnado in second, Chris Fields in third, Jayden Thompson in third, Preach Williams in fourth, and Jovun Ray in fifth.
The Germantown boys program finished second in the Class 7A championship with 20 points, while Madison Central finished fourth with 17 points, both finishing behind Gulfport with 55 points.
For Germantown in the individual weight class competitions, Dillon Travis finished second, Wells Higginbotham finished second, Charles Brown finished third, Jace Matthews finished third, Nick Lee finished fourth, Daniel Klamm finished fourth, and Colton Brister finished fourth.
Madison Central saw Aiden McCollough finish second and Cooper Aguilar finish second, Jackson Becker and Braylen Bass finish fourth, and OJ Edwards finish sixth.
Ridgeland earned 13th place in the 6A Boys Championship, with Tyson Bell finishing in second and Oliver Thompson finishing in fifth in their weight classes.
On the girls side, Velma Jackson came away with the best result among local schools, as they finished in second as a team with 36 points, behind first place East Union with 50 points.
Individually for the Lady Falcons, Zaylah Olive won that state title for her weight class, while Likiareya Jackson, Mikyia Williamson, Juliana King, and Quanydia Walker finished second and Alasia Leonard, Irenae Harris, and Keana May finished third.
Germantown’s girls team earned 15th in Class 7A, with Sara Claire Graves finishing fourth, Miah Schuller finishing sixth, and Katelyn Coleman finishing sixth individually.
Ridgeland’s girls team earned ninth in Class 6A, with Lauren Ingram and Gabriela Eslava finishing fourth and Ashleigh Turnage finishing sixth.
Finishing off the girls’ competitions was Madalynn Johnson for St. Andrew’s, who finished fifth in her weight class in Class 2A.
